James: Black managers don't get top jobs because they're not good enough

Former England goalkeeper David James claims the shortage of black managers in the Premier League is not a race issue but a question of quality.

The 42-year-old stopper is currently embarking on his first coaching role in Iceland - alongside former team-mate Hermann Hreidarsson - having already achieved his A and B licences from the FA.

James, who won the last of his 53 England caps in 2010, fears the positive discrimination of a 'Rooney's Rule', whereby clubs must consider black managers for any vacancy, papers over the cracks.

Speaking out: David James has suggested a lack of quality is to blame for black managers not getting top jobs

Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with Dubai-based newspaper Sport 360, James said: 'Having been on two FA coaching courses, A Licence and B Licence, there weren’t many ethnic coaches, black or other, on the courses.

'And, if you look at the ones who have been sacked – the highlighted examples of there being a glass ceiling – well they’ve been bloody bad managers, so why should you give them a job?'

There are presently five black managers in the 92-club English professional game; Chris Hughton, Chris Powell, Paul Ince, Edgar Davids and Chris Kiwomya.

Of those, the most successful is Hughton, currently enjoying a second stint in the Premier League, with Norwich.

In the minority: Chris Hughton and Chris Powell are two of the five black managers in the professional game

James adds: 'He's decent at what he does
and that's the problem – the standard of black managers in England
isn’t good enough to demand these positions.'

Speaking yesterday, PFA chief Gordon Taylor was convinced the PFA's equivalent of the 'Rooney Rule' will address the lack of black representation.

In conjuction with the Football League, the PFA is pushing ahead with its radical new Coaching Fair Play plan.

It is also helping to sidestep the natural conservatism he feels has prevented the large percentage of black players in the professional game transferring into anything like an acceptable number in the hot-seat.

'People are always more comfortable with other people who are the same as them; language, colour. It is almost defensive,' said Taylor.

Addressing the imbalance: Gordon Taylor is confident the Rooney Rule can provide a boost

'Owners have been more than happy to
have black players on the pitch, and black managers from abroad such as
Ruud Gullit and Jean Tigana, but the overall figures are not in line
with numbers on the pitch.

'It
is not going to happen overnight but we need more representation in
senior positions. We need role models for black managers the same as we
had for players.

'It is a shock that racism is still a topic when we have made such progress.

'But
as we have seen with the crowd trouble over the weekend, we should
never dream of slacking up on any of the issues we have made progress
with.